I feel compelled to post these pictures from our trip down to see the Plaza lights on Thanksgiving, since Leah said a blog isn't worth reading without pictures. You might have noticed that I don't have small children to post pictures of, so sometimes I skip that step altogether.

To right that wrong and to try to entice people into reading my blog, here is not one picture but TWO. Enjoy our beautiful faces.

Us with Mr. and Mrs. Ruble Henderson

Food Journal - Day . . .

In all fairness to myself, I warned that my week of food journaling would be, well, less than a week. But here's another day in review:

Breakfast (8:30)
*2 beef sausage links

Lunch (12:30)
*Chicken soup from Panera, with a side of bread

Snack (2:30)
*White tea

Dinner (7:00)
*Salad with mushrooms, red pepper, celery, cheese, and sea salt
*Brown rice and barbeque chicken
*Dessert drink and 2 smallish cookies

Comments: Not the most impressive day, but I did eat a salad (without MSG-tainted Ranch dressing, no less, which is my favorite). The salad has to count for something. And the fact that I didn't eat as many cookies as I would have liked -- it is the holidays, after all. I did go to the trouble to make brown rice instead of white, as well as feeding my husband leftovers, which makes me feel good about my food budget and the state of my refrigerator.

From Leah's brother's blog:

"Here is the next challenge I want to put to anyone reading In Defense of Food and thinking/blogging about health and nutrition: For one week, document -- on your blog -- everything you eat. Include the quantity you eat, and when you eat it."

Well, technically I qualify. I did read In Defense of Food and I have been thinking about health and nutrition. I have serious doubts about my ability/commitment to do this every day for a week, but here at least is Day 1. It wasn't my most exemplary day, but how could I turn down a chance to talk about food?

Breakfast (9:00)
*1 soft-boiled egg (anyone have a good protein alternative to eggs? I'm almost done with eggs for breakfast)
*small bowl of Grape Nuts (which I could eat every day, as I confessed to Leah and Lauren tonight)
*large mug of Lady Grey

Lunch (12:00)
*large bowl of baked potato soup
*side of bread
*Mango Ceylon tea in a disposable cup (very disappointing for me, since I don't like the taste of disposable cups and don't see the need for them when I could just use a mug -- I didn't ask in time for the mug and was too lazy/shy to correct the situation)

Dinner (7:00)
*2.25 rolls
*small salad with red onion, mushrooms, feta and unknown dressing
*small to medium portion of fettuccine with salmon, asparagus and lemon butter (I think)
*small portion of walnut apple pie with a bite of cinnamon ice cream

Comments:
Not a typical day for me, since I don't usually eat out. Joe also gives himself a grade, but I don't feel qualified to grade myself. I feel like that's a job for Dr. Rice or something.

This is the land which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

First thought: Rabbi mentioned recently that most Jewish people basically only read the Torah, not even the Prophets and Writings.

Second thought: Today at Torah study we finished reading Deuteronomy, the last book of the Torah. Deuteronomy ends with Moses ascending Mount Nebo to look over into the Promised Land before he dies. It's not until the book of Joshua (not in the Torah) that the children of Israel even possess the land promised to Abraham in the book of Genesis.

The mountain where God gave the land covenant to Moses. (taken by Jacklynn)

Does it seem amazing to anyone else that the story that many Jews read and are familiar with doesn't even include the fulfillment of the promise that is fundamental to their existence and identity? I realize that they know how the story ends, but still. Taking the land has not historically been their emphasis, yet they possess this awesome sense of the faithfulness of God. I guess I am impressed with their long-term perspective, their delayed gratification, their faith.

Ezra Bear and the etrain

For part of last week we had the awesome blessing of having Ezra Gharst (affectionately known as Ezra Bear, Bear, or Bear Bear) stay with us. Since I was painting with Tom, Eric took on the role of Mr. Mom - and he made it look effortless. While they were on their last outing together, I asked Lauren to capture some photos, so everyone could see Eric in action.




Appropriately, their last afternoon activity was a visit to a coffee shop.



This one's my favorite.

When it was time to take Ezra home, we both felt a little sad and realized that we would miss our new little buddy.

Brandi's Wedding

Eric's aunt, Sandy, shared some of her photos with us, so here are some good ones from our time at Brandi's wedding. First, here we are at the Black Bear Restaurant in Green Mountain Falls, site of the rehearsal dinner and the best meal I've ever eaten in my entire life. No exaggeration. It was an amazing, gourmet, five-course meal. Ruble has exquisite taste in food, so I shouldn't have been surprised. But I was, perhaps because I'd never had anything like it before. Wow. It really made up for the fact that I almost froze to death during the rehearsal.


Here is the site where the wedding was actually held. The rain kept up, but it was a beautiful backdrop for the kilts and Braveheart music. A sunny day really wouldn't have been as perfect. And their Anglican priest who married them was hilarious. He obviously knows them well, which is always fun. And at one point he took of his prayer shawl-like garment, and when he put it back on, he kissed it like Jews do when putting their prayer shawls on. Very interesting.

Here we are, looking perplexed before the wedding starts. We didn't have our camera, so this is the only picture I have of us from the actual day.

The happy couple and their first dance. Brandi's dress was beautiful, and Ruble's kilt actually looked very dashing. It's not for everyone, to be sure, but he pulled it off nicely. Brandi's dance with Wolfgang was to a German rendition of a song from Fiddler on the Roof.

On Sunday we spent some time with Tom and Sandy, Eric's aunt and uncle. First, we went to

Manitou Springs, to look at caves where an indigenous group used to live. Then we got really adventureous and drove to the Royal Gorge. I was the only one who had never been there. We decided to skip the park with the bridge (since it cost $24 per person to get access to the bridge) and instead hiked a small trail down to the edge of the gorge itself.

We loved the time with Tom and Sandy. They live in North Carolina, so we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. They also have a villa in South Carolina, which is where Eric disappeared to last year, if you remember. Anyway, they are always a lot of fun, and this trip was no exception.

The Garden of Our God

Since we basically forgot our camera the whole time we were gone, this is the only picture we have so far of our trip to Colorado Springs. When I was finding the picture to upload, the title read "Eric in the Garden of Our God". That's how we like to refer to it, at least.

It is a beautiful place, and the wedding (of Brandi, Eric's sister) was movie-worthy in its beauty. Hopefully we'll have some more picture to prove it. We enjoyed the time with family, long-time friends, and even some Kansas City folk who made the drive out for the big event. Now Ruble and Brandi are hiking through the North Island of New Zealand, no doubt loving every minute of it.

We also had a great time with our friends Dave and Heather Lucas, who took us to a live broadcast of Adventures in Odyssey, and Daron and Heather Jamison in Hays, who graciously let us stay at their house with their adorable daughter, Basha.

Like I said, no more pictures for now, but there's a brief recap in case you wondered where we keep disappearing to.

My Dad

In case you've never met him, this is my dad. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has been praying for him over the past few weeks. It means a lot that you've all been praying, even those of you who don't know my dad super well. The L-rd has done amazing things on his behalf, and we're very thankful. Please continue to pray for his full recovery.

The Name Game

I'm in serious need of help. I need some name ideas for the online bookstore we want to do for Rabbi. See the poll to the right. If you have new names, which is what I'm really interested in, just leave them as a comment. Promising ideas will show up in the next poll.

Pictures from the Israel trip are slowly trickling in. You can check it out for yourself here.

No Squatters Allowed

Here's a quote I came across while working on the book for Paul. It keeps coming back to me, so I thought I'd share it with you.


"In the Bible times, wine was purified by letting it sit in a vessel until the dregs had settled to the bottom. Then it was poured into a new vessel and allowed to sit so that the remaining impurities would settle. This was repeated until all the impurities were removed from the wine. The Lord contended that Moab, an area of land directly east of the Dead Sea, had never been emptied into a new vessel; it maintained its dregs and was not pure. It is the changes in our lives that help to free us of the bondage to the familiar and keep us dependent on the Lord instead of on our environments.

Our spiritual lives are purified in this same manner. The Lord allows us to remain in one place until the dregs in our lives settle. Then He pours us into a new vessel – a new situation or environment. This new situation could be a different emphasis in the teaching He is giving us. He may move us to a different congregation or give our congregation new leadership, thus giving us a new job or new supervisor. Change is crucial to maintaining purity in our lives. We are called to be spiritual sojourners, not squatters."

It's Here!

Peter's book is now available!

Get your hands on your very own copy by visiting the online store at Peter's site. And tell all your friends. Please.

Holocaust Memorial Day

In what must surely be a rare overlap of calendars, today is both the National Day of Prayer and Holocaust Memorial Day. Hopefully at least part of the prayers offered today by the American Church will be prayers of repentance for the anti-Semitism that is so rampant in that most cunning of places - our system of thought.

Here's an article from The New York Times that shows Christians and Jews joining together for Holocaust Memorial Day, but more significantly it tells the intriguing tale of a Torah rescued from Auschwitz. Perhaps they'll write a book about it someday . . .

A Liberal Critique

I just read an essay by Marilynne Robinson called "Onward, Christian Liberals." While I don't agree with everything she has to say, this particular criticism of the stream of Christianity I'm most comfortable in hit home:


Since these folks claim to be defenders of embattled Christianity (under seige by liberalism, as they would have it), they might be struck by the passage in Matthew 25 in which Jesus says, identifying himself with the poorest, "I was hungry, and ye fed me not". . . It is the teaching of the Bible passim that God has confided us very largely to one another's care, but that in doing so he has in no degree detached himself from us.


I've read Blue Like Jazz, and I'm familiar with the current trend in the Christian subculture toward Donald Miller's "liberal" approach to social issues. There's not much to disagree with in his low-key message, but several years after I read the book I can't say that it had any lasting effect on my actions.

But as I was reading Robinson's essay (an exercise in exposing myself to nonfiction writing, not in any kind of religious or spiritual reading), I felt a much greater sense of accountability than I can recall feeling during Blue Like Jazz. Perhaps the uncushioned critism from the "outside" landed more directly than Miller's enjoyable suggestions.

More likely, I think, is the fact that now I have a Jewish framework in which to pursue the discussion. Tikkun Olam - the restoration of the world - is a constant guiding principle in Jewish thought. I just read the autobiography of a Jewish man, and he is continuously amazed at Christianity's lack of true action on behalf of the poor and needy.

I'm not suggesting that conservative Christians never do anything good and relevant for the poor or that we should jump on board every program of the "liberals." I am saying that we've been too long remiss in adequately addressing a major need that weighs heavily on the heart of God (see all of Scripture for proof of His concern for the poor, widows and fatherless). We're being taken to task by the world and the church. And it's a scolding that we -- and by we I mean I -- deserve.

Jury Duty

Sorry about the jury poll. I was hoping we could swap jury stories. I received a summons for jury duty a few weeks ago, but then when push came to shove they didn't need me. I was hoping to get a bloggable story out of it. I'm supposed to be summoned again here in the near future, so we'll see.

Your Kitchen Friend

In case for some inexplicable reason you don't read Leah's blog, here's the link to my fabulously hilarious husband giving some household advice, Christopher Walken-style.

http://www.youtube.com/beahblake

Random Redemptive Gift and Personality Observations

As a Servant, I am drawn to strong leaders with big visions -- a chance to serve something great without leading it myself. Also as a Servant, I would prefer to run away from strong leaders who cause conflict, push on my boundaries, and expect me to make the world turn in order to accomplish their particular vision. I thought maybe the Lord was just playing tricks on me over the past year or so. Turns out I was playing tricks on myself.

I think Rulers are wired to value fairness. Does Arthur mention that on the CD?

If I ever operate as a D, it's because of an S motivation.

If Cs aren't necessarily organized, then is organization tied to any personality type?

Am I endlessly intrigued by these conversations because I have some C in me and Cs like categories?

Now discuss.

Leviticus 19:23

If you do choose to plant a tree with the Jewish National Fund, this is the verse that relates to tree-planting and even comes on some of the tree certificates:

When you shall come to the land you shall plant trees. - Leviticus 19:23

That's not quite how my NASB reads, but I'm going to trust the Jewish translation on this one. It seems this verse applies to people who are actually going to the land. So some of us are going this summer, and hopefully all of us will go up someday. . .

Tu b'Shevat

Today and tomorrow, according to T.J.'s email, are Tu b'Shevat, Israel's Arbor Day.

And I quote:

It is celebrated by eating the special types of fruits for which Israel is renowned: olives, dates, grapes, figs and pomegranates -- and also buxer (carob). It's also celebrated by planting trees in Israel and if you can't get to Israel, you can purchase trees to be planted in Israel from the Jewish National Fund www. jnf.org or call 800-542-TREE.


Before the email finishes, he adds that it's a Biblical mandate to plant a tree in Israel. Now, I'm all for planting trees in Israel. It sounds like a great idea. But does anyone know where it's mentioned in the Bible?

My Excuse

Contrary to the argument that blogging was just a fad in our community, I have serious excuses for not having blogged since November 26 - mainly that on November 28 I received one of the most important and exciting phone calls of my life.

Peter Loth - an amazing man of God, a Jew, and a Holocaust survivor - asked me to edit his book. The story of how that came about is a bit long, but basically God is incredibly faithful and gracious in the drama of my life. He gave me the desire of my heart that was planted several years ago when I first met Peter in Eric's parents' kitchen.

And you thought I just picked up all those Holocaust memoirs for some light reading.

I just finished the first of what will be many editing passes through the manuscript, so I'm celebrating by telling you all about it.

Praise the Lord.